Well don't know what to tell you but you are right the ramp never suffered but explain to me why the mechanic pay leaped 13 dollars an hour in our very first AMFA contract at NWA after leaving the IAM? Bottom line is in 2000 NW did their MX in house and they were not prepared for a strike by MX. Took them a lot of time and money to put together a plan to bust AMFA and even then it almost didn't work. I don't believe that the ramp was riding coattails in as much as the industrial unions were stifling the wages of the mechanics. If the ramp really had no problem with us trying to go it alone why did we (at least in MEM) when mechanics had pushbacks and would set up our gates after a/c arrival. We would hook the towbar up and put the bypass pin in. The second AMFA became a real threat we found guys getting ready to push who found the bypass pin removed. Seems to me there were ramp guys upset with us leaving. I won't deny we had a##es in the ranks who looked down on the ramp much like the pilots look down their nose at us. I didn't feel that way..I just felt that the IAM didn't have our best interest at heart. Me personally I have a lot invested in my career I have been doing this for over 25 years and I have a lot of experience working 5 different aircraft types there was a reason I was able to walk across the street to FX starting at MORE money than I made at NW. I don't think there is another workgroup that can go to another airline and start at a higher salary then their previous employer unless it was a regional. So call me semi skilled or whatever I get paid pretty damn well for semi skilled. Something that never happened under the IAM and I am non-union now. So my question is why do SWA and UPS and FX pay such nice salaries to MX? I mean if it was that easy just contract all of it right? Yeah those companies know contract line mx suck and they only use contractors in places where an mx delay wont hurt their bottom line.
You bring up some good points. I have no problem with AMTs having their own union if that is what they want and I think it's great that you got the $13/hr raise (without a corresponding decrease in ramp pay) in your first (and only decent) AMFA contract, although it was at the expense of your scope language. From what I have read, under the IAM contract, NW could farm out only if there was no one on layoff. The flip side of that is if there is one person on layoff there can be no farmouts at all. No one was on furlough when they were farming out the Dc-10s and 747s. NW did heavy overhaul on the Dc-9s in ATL, the A320s in DLH and I believe the A330s in MSP. Although under the IAM's contract's scope language, the NW AMTs could have "attrited themselves out of existence" over a period of a few decades. When AMFA got you the big raise, the scope language was changed to allow NW to start dumping large numbers of AMTs immediately. How long was it after the AMFA contract was signed that ATL was closed? then MSP? It is a concrete fact that AMFA had 10,500 members when they came on the property but just before the strike they were down to 4,400. All NW needed was 800-1000 to staff MSP and DTW. NW was more than willing to give the big bucks (in the short term) in exchange for scope change which would allow for the destruction of the NW mechanics saving money in the long term.
As far as what you said happened in MEM with the bypass pins, I totally condemn the actions of these rampers and feel that they should be punished. They needed to realize that it is the AMTs right to choose another labor organization to represent them. Sadly, some rampers are stupid enough to buy into the "coattail" theory that was constantly espoused by AMFA and hopefully by observing what happened at NW they will be smart enough to realize it was a complete falsehood. The sad thing is decent AMTs who possess the ability to think such as yourself, XUT, and Bob Owens, are overshadowed by those that are emotionally egotistic.
You ask about Southwest, Fed Ex and UPS; why do they pay so well compared to the legacy airlines? The answers range from different industries, different business models, instant gratification and illusion.
1. Different industries. Fed EX and UPS are cargo/parcel carriers. Their aircraft are packed from nose to tail, upper deck and lower deck, with parcels that are small in size but cost a lot to ship which translates into very efficient revenue generation when compared to airlines. Also, they have less work groups than that of passenger airlines such as flight attendants. They contract out all their heavy overhaul and have a minimum number of line AMTs. These companies are highly profitable and can afford to pay well (sharing the wealth). Not only are AMT and pilots highly paid but so are their truck drivers and loaders. I know someone who has been at UPS for about 23 years and works in the warehouse loading boxes and he makes close to $30/hr! It also helps when pilots and AMTs support and don't degrade the 100,000+ ibt represented truck drivers and box loaders. At UPS, I don't think you will ever hear of the pilots and AMTs degrade and attack other groups and an AMFA drive at UPS would be suicidal for those AMTs. As for Fed Ex, the only unionized group there are the pilots, remember about a decade ago they threatened a strike? What did Fed Ex do? They threatened to wet lease a fleet of cargo planes from non-union carriers resulting in the rapid retreat of the Fed Ex pilots. The difference between UPS and Fed EX is the fact that the AMTs and pilots at UPS have the unconditional support 100,000+ teamster drivers and loaders (who is riding who's coattails now!) as where the pilots at Fed Ex do not. All Fed Ex really does is basically match the pay rates of UPS.
2. As everyone knows, Southwest has a different business model. Their employees get all their compensation up front (instant gratification and illusion). They have no pension and no retiree medical. They MATCH what an employee puts into their 401k. If the employee puts in nothing, they put in nothing. If the employee only contributes 2%,they only put in 2%. I wonder how many employees actually put in the maximum. One would have to deduct their contribution to the 401k to get their REAL HOURLY PAY RATE. The Southwest employee also bears ALL INVESTMENT RISK. If the employee fails to invest wisely-to bad; if they do invest wisely and the market tanks like is has for the past couple of years- too bad. How many Southwest retirees watched in horror as a large chunk of their retirement simply disappeared? How many AMTs are good at investing? At AA we get a guaranteed pension for life without having to contribute a dime. Also, AA bears the investment risk, if the market tanks AA has to fork in more money to guarantee the lifetime pension. At AA we get sick time AND retiree medical as to where SW employees only get sick time. They can purchase retiree medical up to age 65 with unused sick time. But what happens at SW if one get sick or injured within a year of retirement; they have no retirement medical because they burned up all their sick time. AT AA there have been people in this exact same situation but fortunately for them they were able to use all their sick time and still have retirement medical. Bottom line is wages, benefits, and work rules determine the total cost of a contract. Some want it all up front (instant gratification) and some want the deferred compensation of a guaranteed pension for life and retiree medical.
